Approach to change
India has an ever developing readiness and intercultural adaptability to change. In a country seen to have medium tolerance to risk and change, innovations ought to have a history full of benefits in order to be accepted and implemented. Unlike in other countries, failure in India results to a long-term erosion of one’s confidence by the individual and others as well. Given this inherent attitude, it’s a prerequisite for a manager to exercise intercultural sensitivity, especially when overseeing group meetings. The same is expected when discussing and critiquing contributions from the participantsFor instance, when a manager is presiding over an end of the year meeting, participants offer their insights on how they think the institution has fared over the financial year and the things that need to be rectified. In such a situation, a manager ought to see the positive in all the assertions by the participants so that their confidence is not eroded in front of their colleagues.
Approach to time and priorities
In business situations where deadlines and schedules are regarded highly, Indians are very particular. However, relationships are viewed with great concern in the Indian society. Consequently, some flexibility towards meeting deadlines, adhering to schedules and observing strict standards is expected. As a manager in India, the importance of underscoring the significance of agreed-upon deadlines and schedules cannot be emphasized enough. It is also imperative for a manager to emphasize the effect of agreed-upon deadlines to the entire organization. The success of cross cultural management is dependent on one’s ability to adhere to schedules, observe strict standards and meet deadlines For example, in a team building activity; schedules are created to help keep the activities of the group on track. It is important to exercise flexibility in meeting the agreed-upon schedules. These schedules should also be agreed-upon by the entire group.
Decision Making
India’s culture affords a lot of emphasis on relationships and groups. Therefore, maintaining proper avenues of authority and harmony at the workplace is of paramount importance. Managers make decisions in an organization. They also assume responsibility for work that is performed by their subordinates. In order to make sure that management efforts in cross cultural environment are successful, it is imperative for the manager to maintain appropriate behavior in relation to his position. For instance, engaging tasks performed by people in the lower levels amounts to lowering the esteem of the aforesaid office. For example, it is unlikely for a manger to print copies of papers or move his furniture For instance, if an accident were to happen in an engineering workshop, the manager would take responsibility.
The Boss is a Team Player
Honor and reputation are important aspects of the Indian culture. It is protected and upheld above all things. As such, it is important for any manager working in India to be aware of this lest he strips someone of honor and reputation. It is especially important for a manager to exercise caution in a collaborative setting or in a group because the risk gets amplified. Therefore, it is important for the manger to exercise intercultural sensitivity when meeting together in groups to moderate ideas. A manager should be careful to qualify those ideas that are raised in gentleness in order to protect the reputation of those individuals who brought up the ideas lest they feel ashamed For instance, participants in a focus group discussion may give ideas that are far removed, not feasible or viable. The manager in this case ought to be sensitive when appraising such ideas so as not to shame the participant.
Communication and negotiation styles
It is important for the manager to appreciate the importance of personal relationships in order to successfully carry out his functions in India. Personal relationships are very vital to conducting business in the Indian culture. They are based on trust and respect and take time to develop. Comfortable working relationships develop over time and perseverance and patience is required of the manager. The Indian people are not known to confront someone or overtly disagree with management. For instance, where an employee feels oppressed by the management, it is unexpected that he will confront the manager openly.
Decisions are made by the highest ranking individual, though this can be a very slow process. It is also important for a manager not to appear too legalistic during negotiations. This is because Indians do not trust legal systems and an individual’s word is enough to reach an agreement. It is noteworthy for a manager that many a times; successful negotiations are celebrated over a meal For instance, when a manager in striking a deal with a supplier, the supplier might be set off if the manager brought legal papers to be signed. A word of mouth to the effect that he will honor the agreement would be enough for the supplier.
The Indian Governance
Approaches to governance, policy regimes and public investments have all contributed to a large extent towards the amelioration of the living conditions of the people, realization of economic and social goals, strengthening the public administration and keeping the country together. For instance, the Indian government has spelt out a blueprint towards development tagged the Vision 2020. The blueprint spells out the path the country will take to achieve what it has set out to do. The Indian government has been hit by high inflation rates in the recent years. They used monetary and fiscal policies to curtail the effects of inflation on the economy. However, in designing policies to fight inflation, challenges are posed by India’s presence in the global scene. Previously, inflation was fought by tightening credit and raising interest rates. For instance, the Reverse Bank of India raised the reverse repo and repo rates and occasionally the Cash Reserve Ratio. However, there has been a slow response of inflation to these measures. This has raised questions on the effectiveness of their monetary and fiscal policies in the presently globalized India.
Bibliography
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Bijapurkar, Rama. Winning in the Indian Market: Understanding the Transformation of Consumer India. Singapore: John Wiley & Sons (Asia), 2008.
Budhwar, Pawan S., and Jyotsna Bhatnagar. The changing face of people management in India. London: Routledge, 2009.
Davis, Herbert J., Samir Ranjan Chatterjee, and Mark Heuer. Management in India: trends and transmission. New Delhi: Response books. 2006.
Srinivasan, R. Strategic Management: The Indian Context. New Delhi: PHI Learning, 2009.
